Monthly Archives: January 2015

Michigan is in the midst of winter, but I want to read about spring and summer. Enter Firefly July, a picture book of poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Each poem is very short, some only three … Continue reading →

Raindrops Roll, written and photographed by April Pulley Sayre, is an in-depth visual study of rain. Stunning close-up photographs of raindrops and the way they thud, glob and magnify invite observation. The backmatter includes “A Splash of Science” wherein you can learn facts about … Continue reading →

Written as a college entrance essay, The Scar Boys begins and ends with the friendship of Harbinger (Harry) and Johnny, in middle school, when Johnny calls a bully off of Harry and strikes up a conversation. Harry is surprised into a … Continue reading →

Margarita Engle‘s biographical and historical novel-in-verse (it is a fictionalized account of the young Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda) dives into the heart and soul of a young poet who is not allowed to read books because “girls who read too much are unladylike”. Tula … Continue reading →